'The Passion' poised to continue climbing

LOS ANGELES -- After opening with an astonishing $125.2 million over five days, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is positioned to get even bigger as the Roman Catholic season of Lent leads up to Easter on April 11.

The box-office total announced Monday by distributor Newmarket Films pushed "The Passion" past "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($124.1 million) for biggest debut ever by a film opening on a Wednesday -- Ash Wednesday, in this case.

The total was almost $8 million more than Newmarket first estimated, because far more people turned out Sunday to see Gibson's grisly crucifixion recreation than originally predicted.

"I think we'll see strong bookings leading up to Easter, and I would anticipate Easter would be a huge weekend," said Bruce Davey, Gibson's partner at his film company, Icon Productions.

The movie, which stars Jim Caviezel as Christ, has deeply divided religious communities. Church groups have bought out entire theaters for screenings, while some Jewish and Christian leaders say "The Passion" could revive the notion that Jews were collectively responsible for Christ's death.

The film played strongly among all age and ethnic groups and in every region of the country.

"The Passion" ultimately could take in between $300 million and $350 million in the United States and Canada alone, Schwartz said.

The movie also opened in Australia and New Zealand on Ash Wednesday and is gradually debuting worldwide.

The religious epic once was a solid subgenre in old Hollywood, with "The Ten Commandments and "Ben-Hur" the most successful of the lot. But such religion-rooted films had the same goal as any other studio movie -- to present a spectacle that would sell tickets, wowing audiences without provoking them.

Gibson's "The Passion," however, embodies the most basic definition of the independent film. Though its $25 million budget (paid entirely by Gibson) is far larger than most indies, "The Passion" is a personal vision offered up without the slightest concession to mainstream tastes or box-office commerce.

"This is one man's vision, his interpretation of what he reads in the Gospels and how they impact his own life," said the Rev. Stephen Bauman, a Methodist minister and board member of the Partnership of Faith, an interfaith group of Christians, Jews and Muslims in Manhattan. "He's entitled to his vision, but we shouldn't receive this vision as the same thing as the Gospel."

The film succeeded through Gibson's brilliant marketing strategy. He sold his vision from the ground up by selectively screening the movie for like-minded church leaders, who spread the buzz to congregations nationwide.

When some Jewish and Christian groups complained that the movie could foster anti-Semitism, Gibson largely stepped back and let the debate rage.

It probably was a blessing in disguise for Gibson that Hollywood would not touch the film. Conventional studio marketing never could have provided the free ride of publicity "The Passion" received from all the headlines and media commentary.

"You've got to have the madness to step outside the system, and he did," said Peter Bardazzi, director of new media development at New York University, who saw "The Passion" on opening day. "I won't say it's a work of art myself, this movie, but he caused more controversy outside the system than anyone has in the last 20 years."

Because "The Passion" was a personal quest by Gibson, Hollywood observers doubt big studios will jump on the bandwagon with their own religious sagas.

"I hate to underestimate Hollywood's ability to imitate, but I kind of think that these executives realize that there is a unique alignment of the stars with this picture," said Kim Masters, an entertainment correspondent for National Public Radio. "I think Mel could easily decide to do more of these, and he would be guaranteed a certain return. But not necessarily on this level."